ArticleCancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center
Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Radiation Oncology Practices in Puerto Rico.
Article in Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Three-Discipline Collaborative Radiation Therapy (3DCRT) debate: Medical physics should focus less on geometric precision and more on biological outcomes.Journal of applied clinical medical physics · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the perceived impact of extreme weather events from 2017 - 2024 on delivery of radiotherapy in Puerto Rico (PR), including effects on radiation oncologists, medical physicists, clinical staff, and patients. A secondary objective is to identify resources and strategies that may strengthen resiliency and support continuity of care in radiation oncology clinics located in weather-vulnerable regions.MethodsWe developed a comprehensive online cross-sectional survey to evaluate clinic emergency preparedness and the impact of extreme weather events on radiation oncology clinic stakeholders in PR. Potential participants were identified through the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) membership directory and were invited to participate via email and direct outreach.ResultsFourteen radiation oncologists and four medical physicists were invited to participate, with a response rate of 56% (n = 10), representing 71.4% of radiation oncology clinics in PR. Among respondents, 90% reported clinical disruptions due to extreme weather events from 2017 to 2024. The most commonly reported impacts were property damage (90%), communication failures between providers, patients and staff (90%), power outages (80%), and school and/or childcare closures (80%). A majority (90%) supported developing comprehensive supportive resources, including professional society resources, to enhance disaster preparedness and operational resiliency.ConclusionRadiation oncology providers in PR reported significant disruptions in care delivery from extreme weather events and identified a need for strong resiliency measures. Institutional policy, coupled with targeted support from professional societies, may reduce lapses in treatment, safeguard vulnerable patients - particularly those with complex treatment plans - and improve continuity of care and outcomes in weather-prone regions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.